Oboe | Uncyclopedia | Fandom powered by Wikia edit Uses An oboe can be used to summon undead beings with its horrible sound. The oboe, being made of grenadilla or similar rosewoods, can also be used as a hollow shortsword for cutting down thy enemies. For those without comedic tastes, the so-called experts at Wikipedia have an article about Oboe . The use of the oboe as a torture device dates back to the Egyptian times, when the law "if a man shalt put an eye out of another man, he shall have to listen to an oboe". Since then, oboes have stepped their rankings up, and their cult of assassins is working on a way to mutate the trombone with oboe genes to create the ultimate torture weapon. edit History During the mid-1700's, oboe players were some of the most famous and stylish personalities in Europe . They often partied until the wee hours with rich and powerful composers like Joseph Haydn, Antonio Salieri, Adolf Hitler, and of course, Wolfgang Mozart . Large groups of idolizing fans and screaming teenage girls frequently followed popular oboists from concert to concert.

Many experts believe that these fans were drawn to the oboists' colorful personalities, as well as the phallic symbol obviously represented by the oboe's shape. Because of the wild popularity of oboe concertos, several oboists in the the mid-1780's gave free public concerts in large, rocky fields outside Paris . Many historical musicologists believe that the modern term " rock music " is derived from these gatherings. While these concerts were extremely popular among the French peasantry, they greatly angered Louis XVI , an intense but jealous oboe fan. Convinced that only he had the right to hear the sound of the oboe, he declared free oboe concerts to be illegal on June 18, 1789, and actually imprisoned a famous oboe player, Maximilien Robespierre , in the Bastille prison for giving a free concert. Marie Antoinette then famously said "Let them hear the oboe" but was promptly executed by Louis XVI.

In response, the French public went crazy and stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789, which is now known as "Bastille Day." The mob freed Robespierre, who promptly smoked some reed and gave a free oboe concert, to the delight of the French peasants. Of course, this heralded the beginning of the French Revolution and gave birth to its slogan, "Liberté, égalité, fraternité, et les hautes bois!" (Liberty, equality, fraternity, and oboes!) Later on, famed oboist Vladimir Lenin led the Bolsheviks to victory, declaring that all oboes were now the property of the state . George Washington disagreed, and led a counter-revolution. edit Modern Oboes Today, the demanding, high pitched life of an oboe player is not for everyone. Potential oboe players should think long and hard about playing this instrument, especially girls , even though it is now quite socially acceptable for women to play the oboe (as long as it is not their primary source of income and they should have unbelievably curly and/or ginger hair).

Not everyone wants to put up with the extra mail, telephone calls, and daily interruptions from fanatical oboe cult members. Plus the oboe is known to have 5-6 fingerings for the same note, which new players are terrified of learning. Skilled players can make used of additional spatial dimensions to reach those hard-to-reach keys, sometimes multiple keys at once. One thing about oboe players rarely mentioned, however, is that they are all quite strange. Many never move out of home and hide in their parents basements because of the cost of reeds. They tend to be anal about everything and anything, and at the same time just be spaced out 100% of the time. Though most oboists will blame their reeds for any personality quirks (or anything at all, really ), this may have more to do with the lifestyle mentioned above and possible drug use (they smoke a lot of reed). edit Other Oboe Varieties edit English Horn Also known as the "cor anglais," the English horn is neither English, nor a horn. It can be played using the nose as well as the mouth and is scientifically proven to be 20% more sexy than the normal oboe.

edit Oboe d'amore The result of a controversial mating program between the oboe and the English horn, the oboe d'amore was long shunned by professional musicians as being "weird and nerdy" until it was discovered that playing it confers upon the player mild immortality . edit Typical Oboe Players Within a group, there are noticeably few oboists. (This is to reduce the amount of pain the audience has to endure and explains why there is no such thing as an "Oboe Ensemble.") However, as few as there are, the players usually fall into a few categories, united by their oddity. edit The "Oboist" This musician is the oboist in its purest form. The oboist will almost always receive a solo in every piece of music and is considered (by the oboist, of course) to be able to produce the most amazing noise to ever emerge from the chaos known as band. The oboist will also have multiple reeds, and so shoulders twice as much blame.

edit The Not-So "Oboist" This category encompasses most "haut bois," but the truth is that there really aren't any "hot boys" other than extremely rare occasions... but it does happen. Most oboists in this range are male. These players usually rock the instrument beating out the Oboe Hos. They also play oboe decently (and sometimes almost at the level of The "Oboist," but only when they get really lucky) and will play multiple instruments like the multisectional freaks they are. If the male oboist is not a multisectional freak they may be a talented slacker who is somehow sliding under the radar as first chair and beating out all of the Oboe Hos and oboists. edit The Slacker This category takes the rest. Usually the oboists in this group have no idea how to play oboe and would be much better suited to being a Drummer . Luckily, these oboists are the first to die in catastrophic events involving reeds. The occasional slacker can be highly skilled but never play the instrument outside of class.

They also tend to have no conceptual understanding of "tuning." Slackers usually huff the most cheetahs and are the biggest party animals. edit Rivals Part of the typical oboist's arsenal, one of the reasons that few people mess with them. Unfortunately, there are some dumbasses that mess with oboists, not realizing that they are required to carry knives and other sharp instruments around at all times. They usually die instantly. Here are the instruments with the highest mortality rates. edit Flutes Girl oboist usually fight with girl flute players over the hot bassoon player or their inability to be in tune. As usual, the flutist gets a reed stuck up her nose and other areas. (Beware, oboists tend to collect bad reeds to spam flutists with.) edit Clarinets They have been in war ever since Jesus was born. Actually, when the first grenadilla tree was grown, it was cut in two. God took the upper half and made an oboe, while Satan took The lower half and made the clarinet .

Clarinetists, jealous that they only had one reed while oboes had two, would usually steal oboe reeds to use as tooth picks. Then the oboist would steal their reeds to make oboe reeds and firewood to burn the euphonium player's body since nobody EVER cares about them. Their clarinets are then shaved down and converted to oboes. edit Trombones Trombones have been hating the sound of the oboe since the beginning of time , and will voice their opinion near oboists and make mocking squeaking sounds anytime an oboist walks by. Oboists will pretend to ignore them and "sing the song of their people" any time they're near a trombonist. edit The infamous oboe reed “No, really, it's the reed's fault!” ~ Oboe player on oboe reeds The oboe reed usually costs more money than a professional oboe player earns for a year of work in a famous orchestra. Another attribute of oboe reeds is the squeaky, high pitched noise they make while they aren't shoved into the oboe.

The players usually squeak into these reeds until you smack it into a wall or throw the actually oboe player there. This is another leading cause of death among this group of musicians. Playing two reeds at the same time will open a portal and summon Cthulhu . As to what it is, the oboe reed is the two little blades of bamboo which are blown through to produce sound and is also what makes oboes sound so distinctly oboe-y. While most students buy their reeds, professional oboists nearly always make their own. The making of oboe reeds is a fine art and its secrets are not to be shared with the general public. Rumors are spread of sacrifices of both blood and small animals, and it is true that reed making requires exceedingly sharp knives. Ever wonder why oboists tend to have all those little cuts running up and down their fingers? It is a skill handed down from teacher to student through generations of oboists when the teacher realizes the student no longer has any money left to pay for hundred dollar reeds. Oboe reeds are small and delicate. They break easily, never lasting more than a week.

While non-oboists realize that it is a lost cause, oboists spend much of their lives trying to create the perfect reed, believing that it would make the oboe actually sound good. They spend hours at a time locked in small rooms with no windows, doing whatever it is they do to make the things, cursing colorfully the entire time. When they come out and start playing they then blame everything they do wrong on their reeds. Teachers actually tell students to do this. Oboists believe that no one will realize how bad a player they are if they claim to be having reed problems rather than admitting a mistake. They typically sit there and stare at their reed. They take it off, suck the hell out of it, and still stare at it awkwardly. It is also worth pointing out the difference in American and European reed making. Even though the facts on what the actual difference is are fuzzy (top secret among oboists, that is) the difference in tone is quite distinct; or so oboists will claim. While the average layperson just hears painful caterwauling, an oboist will point out how much darker the American tone is and how much more nasal European oboists sound.

Most even will admit the other sort of tone is quite bad, that is, Americans will insist that Europeans sound horrible and vice-versa. In these cases, it is best to just agree with them. Insulting the oboe in front of an oboist is sometimes fatal, but always ends with a few missing fingers (usually taken off with a reed-making knife, but sometimes bitten off) and a reed up the butt. Instruments in Depth - The Oboe INSTRUMENTS IN DEPTH Flash is required for video playback Parts of the Oboe THE OBOE by Katie Scheele The oboe, a double reed instrument in the woodwind family, is one of the most beautiful, important, and unique musical instruments. With a long history dating back as far as ancient Greece, it has developed through the centuries into one of the most challenging and distinct instruments in the modern orchestra.

Definition: Double Reed A type of reed consisting of two pieces of cane that vibrate against each other, used to produce a sound in various woodwind instruments including the oboe, English horn, and bassoon HISTORY Although the oboe made its orchestral debut in France in 1657, the instrument had many earlier forms dating back several centuries beforehand. Historians believe that the earliest rudimentary oboe-like instruments were first used around 2800 B.C., performing in royal funerals depicted in ancient drawings, and more sophisticated forms of early oboes can be traced to India during the twelfth to the seventh centuries B.C. There, musicians used a conical instrument called an ottu, with a double reed but without any holes. Many varieties of this instrument were also found in Asia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Although these oboes can be traced back the farthest, the instrument that is believed to be the closest predecessor of the oboe is the medieval shawm. The shawm (developed from the Asian zurna) was made of wood and had a conical shape with a flared bell.

It came in several lengths in order to have different pitches and had either a hole to put the double reed in or a bocal (a slightly angled piece of metal covered by cork at the end inserted into the instrument) for the reed to sit on. As time passed, musicians desired an instrument with a wider range and more control over pitches. During the mid 17th century, the first baroque oboe (called hautbois, meaning high-wood ) was created in France, where it was used to entertain the French court. Made of boxwood with several holes but only two or three keys, it gained immediate popularity in many countries. During this time, the oboe da caccia ( hunting oboe ) was also created. This instrument had a curved body and was used in many of Bach's cantatas and masses. This instrument was primarily used in the Baroque period, as later instruments would take the place of this unusual instrument, which was difficult to build. Definition: Bocal A slightly angled metal tube with a cork base that serves as the mouthpiece of certain woodwind instruments. In the case of many instruments in the oboe family, the reed then rests on the bocal.

CONSTRUCTION As music evolved, so did the oboe. The classical period brought on several more changes to the oboe—a narrower body (called the bore) and more keys, giving the instrument a much wider range. From these earlier forms came the modern oboe. This oboe is usually made from grenadilla wood, though some are made of other woods from the rainforest, and student model oboes are usually made of plastic or resin to avoid cracking. The oboe consists of three pieces: the top joint, the lower joint and the bell. It has a very narrow bore (tube) and is played by blowing on a double reed. The modern oboe has a range of more than two and a half octaves, from a low Bb to an A or higher, and uses a key system called full conservatory, which has 45 pieces most commonly made of silver. Some popular oboe makers of today are F. Loree, Laubin, Howarth and Yamaha. Definition: Bore The body of a woodwind or brass instrument, through which air travels and vibrates to produce the sound.

The shape of the bore has a strong impact on the instrument's timbre (tone color). The ottu, an Indian predecessor of the modern oboe The oboe da caccia or hunting oboe, Instrument purchase and care //Introduction // Plastic or Wood? // What to buy? // English Horns // Buying and Selling Used Instruments // Instrument Care and Maintenance // Shipping an Instrument // Buying an oboe or English Horn is a little different from making other major purchases, and even a little different from buying a "normal" wind instrument. Before beginning with more specific tips, let me make a few points right at the outset. If you only read the rest of this paragraph, you'll already do well. Include your teacher in the process. DO NOT buy anything EVER without approval from your teacher or another expert. In my experience, every time a young student (or a well-meaning parent buying a Christmas gift) has bought an instrument without taking advice the result has been unfortunate. Include your teacher in the process! If you don't have a teacher, get advice from an oboe professional. Deal with specialists in double reed instruments. There will usually not be any in your town, but don't worry.

All of them are equipped to do business through the mail with complete efficiency. Most will send you an instrument to try for a week or so if you give them a credit card number. You'll also have to pay for shipping whether you buy the instrument or not. Since it usually costs around fifty dollars to ship an instrument, remember to get advice from your teacher before you waste too much money trying instruments you don't like. Almost all of the vendors around the country advertise in The Double Reed, the quarterly publication of the International Double Reed Society. General music stores are, with rare exceptions, not good places to buy oboes. There are no bargains. Or, to put it another way, you get what you pay for. If it's really cheap, there's a reason. Include your teacher in the process. Why does it cost so much? Oboes and English Horns are expensive. Even the cheapest oboe will cost well over $1,000. Since oboes sell much more slowly than drums or guitars, never mind refrigerators or cars, even the advantages of mass production are minimized and don't lower cost as much as you'd expect.

(A caution on pricing: beware of "list price." List price for oboes is as realistic as the list price for computer software: no-one ever pays that amount. Only a salesman will try to tempt you with the enormous 40% discount that merely brings the price back to a reasonable level.) When you spend more, you get more, but what do you get? Three things: quality of construction, additional keywork, and refinement of tone. The cheapest oboes are made of molded plastic (injected into a mold and left to cool), and fitted with inexpensive keys. This keywork can bend rather easily, and can even break right off with a little encouragement. Moreover, there are only a few keys - enough to play most of the notes (sometimes the low B flat is left off), but not enough to play the oboe with facility - many trills and some alternate fingerings will be awkward or impossible. Intonation and tone quality will range from acceptable to unplayable depending on the instrument.

Better oboes have more keys, with only a few luxuries omitted; they're made of better plastic (machined using cutting and drilling tools, not molded), and they have a more sophisticated bore allowing a more refined tone with better pitch security. This category includes most of the popular mid-range "student" instruments such as the Fox Renard. These instruments are handmade to a significant extent. The best oboes are constructed from Grenadilla wood (or other rare hardwood such as rosewood) and are supplied with a complete assortment of keys made of extremely durable material. The interior construction of the bore will be very complex, resulting in an instrument with a distinct personality. Almost everything on the instrument will be handmade by master craftsmen and checked by an artist. Plastic or wood? There is a popular myth that "wood is better." Well, it depends. Buying a wooden oboe from an inferior maker offers no benefit whatsoever. If the oboe is cheaper, so is the wood. The advantages of wood are simple: it sounds a little better, and has a more complex personality. Professional players choose it for this reason. The disadvantages of wood are many: it shrinks and expands, it cracks, it wears out.

It simply doesn't make sense to buy a student-quality oboe made of wood. The difference in tone will not be noticeable (at least not until the student's reeds and playing skill have outgrown the instrument), but you will certainly notice the extra maintenance hassles. Schools routinely buy plastic instruments for this reason: they don't have money to spend on regular professional service. Unless you're in the market for a professional quality instrument, or something close to it, stick to plastic. This rather definitive statement assumes that you are a youngster looking for an instrument to hold you until you can afford something better. If the student quality instrument is not a stepping-stone - if it's the instrument you want to keep and live with until it wears out - then by all means consider a wooden instrument. Plastic is especially good for English horns, which usually receive only occasional use in a school setting. Often, they can sit for months in between uses. Student quality English horns (see below) are usually available with a plastic top joint, which eliminates the worry of instability in storage. Back to Top What to buy?

There are three things to consider: how much money you have, the commitment level of the student, and the length of time the instrument is intended to serve. Discuss all of these points with your teacher to ensure that the money is well spent and the instrument gives satisfaction. Let's consider the options, starting with the cheapest. I should say "least expensive," since owning an oboe is not cheap. I'll make a blanket statement to start with: oboes under $1,000 are not worth the money, whether new or used. This category includes most rental instruments - they're acceptable while a student is deciding whether they like the oboe or not, but not worth buying. Remember, you get what you pay for. A $400 oboe is about as useful as a $400 car. There are three broad price categories for oboes: around $2,000, $3,000-$5,000, and ranging from $6,000-$10,000. In other words: basic, good, and professional respectively. The gap between $5,000 and $6,000 is filled by used professional instruments.

The least expensive oboe I would recommend is the Yamaha 241 which costs around $2,200. The keywork is very basic (like those rental instruments), but the construction and workmanship are adequate. If renting is a poor option where you live, this instrument would be a good choice for the first two or three years of playing. For a few hundred dollars more, the Fox 333 is better. The next category includes a host of different instruments from many important makers. The most popular is the Fox Renard model 330, and for good reason. The instrument is well made, it has no vices, and it can be used for relatively advanced playing because of its nearly complete keywork. For around $3,500 it's a very good value. Another well-made instrument for a few hundred dollars more is the MCW oboe made by Mark Chudnow Woodwinds. It's made of wood which in this case presents an advantage over the Fox: the sound is smoother and more refined. Other good instruments are made by Rigoutat (the Delphine), Fossati, Howarth, and others.

This price range is becoming rather competitive with entries from most of the major manufacturers. Also in this price range, the Rigoutat Riec is a wonderful instrument. The key action is clean and light, and the sound quality is beautiful. Howarth also makes an excellent instrument - the only full conservatory system oboe in this price range. Either of these instruments would satisfy anyone except the most demanding professional. It is especially important in these price ranges to get advice from a teacher or professional. All of these oboes are cheaper than professional instruments, so the makers have to cut corners somewhere. Some of these economies will be visible (the oboe will have fewer keys), but some will be internal. Do not get caught in a feature war; buy the instrument that has the best bore with a sound quality and pitch security that help your playing. If you're contemplating the purchase of a professional quality instrument, you probably don't need my advice. Lor�e is the standard in this country, but there are excellent instruments made by many other builders: Covey, MCW and Laubin in the USA, Rigoutat, Buffet and Marigaux in France, Howarth in England, and others - even Yamaha.

For professional oboes, the sky is the limit: if you buy the most expensive Lor�e, you can easily spend $10,000. Instruments are a frequent source of debate among oboists, each asserting the superiority of their favored brand. All of this discussion is essentially meaningless - the player makes the sound, not the instrument. All of today's professional quality instruments are excellent. Any really good player could play well on just about any one of them. With only a few exceptions, I haven't tried a really lousy instrument in years. I have preferences, of course, but after a couple of weeks and a few dozen reeds, I could make my sound on many different oboes. Back to Top English Horns At present, there are only a few moderately priced English horns available. Fox has released their English horns after years of development, and they are excellent. Pricing is very competitive. Howarth also makes an excellent mid-priced instrument that has nearly complete keywork (only the split D key is missing), and can be had with either a wood or a plastic top joint for the same price. This instrument is very well made and has excellent performance.

If your school needs to buy an English Horn, it would be a fine choice. Professional instruments cost between $8,000 and $10,000 with many choices: Lor�e, Rigoutat, Howarth, Fox, and Laubin all make good instruments. Back to Top Used Instruments One of the comforting aspects of buying a new oboe is its resale value. If you buy a quality instrument and maintain it well, you probably won't lose money on it, even after several years. That's the good news; the bad news is that the price of used instruments rises steadily as new instruments get more expensive. Still, you can save some money by buying a used instrument instead of a new one. Since there are no "used car salesmen" in the oboe business, you can buy confidently from well-known vendors, who will always service a used instrument before selling it to make sure it's in good playing shape. That, again, is the good news. The bad news is that you won't save as much as you might hope. The new price of a Loree oboe right now is around $7,500.

The price of a good used one is $6,000 to 7,000. For $4,000 to $5,000, you'll get something that's around fifteen or twenty years old - still servicable but maybe not as good as a new oboe that costs $5,000. As always, get good advice and involve your teacher in the process. For those people who have an old oboe in the garage (not a good place to keep it) and wonder how much it might be worth, be aware that oboes very rarely have any scarcity value: unless it's the first Loree ever made, or the oboe that Tabuteau made all his recordings on, the only criterion is the instrument's playing condition. If you have an oboe you want to sell, the usual channels (word of mouth, newspaper classifieds, etc.) will probably not be very effective unless you live in an area just teeming with oboists. Your best bet is to work with one of the many oboe vendors who sell instruments on consignment.

Typically, the vendor will take care of the entire transaction in exchange for a ten to fifteen per cent commission. For me , that is well worth it since I don't have to assume any financial risk, and don't have to deal with the inconvenience of shipping the instrument, perhaps multiple times. Back to Top Instrument Maintenance While you should have your instrument professionally serviced every year or two, there are several things you can do to prolong its life. First of all, learn how it works. Learn what constitutes a genuine crisis that requires a professional repair, and what you can fix yourself, often in just a few minutes. Patrick McFarland has written a booklet describing the various oboe adjustment tasks. The book can be ordered here: Learn how to perform your own adjustments. Learn how to take your instrument apart and put it back together. Then, follow this routine: Every day: Wipe the keys with a soft cloth. Every week: Brush the dust off the wood. Brushes intended for cleaning camera lenses work well. Every month (or more often if needed): Check the adjustment. Every three months: Oil the mechanism.

Get a needle oiler and put a small drop of clock oil or sewing machine oil at every join along the mechanism (there will be about 80 spots in all). Don't get any oil on the pads. Just wipe off any oil you get on the wood. Twice a year: Take the whole thing apart, clean everything (including tone holes and octave key inserts), oil it and put it back together. This is also a good time to replace worn bumper corks. Adherence to this routine will add years to the life of your instrument, and make playing easier between professional services. Some people recommend oiling the wood; I've never noticed that this does any good at all, since the oil barely penetrates the surface and is probably removed the next time you swab. Some instrument makers feel that oiling the wood can actually increase the chance of cracking, since it creates a stress between the surface layer (with oil penetration) and the rest of the wood, which is dry. So, don't bother. Back to Top Shipping an Instrument Eventually, you will need to ship an instrument, either for service or sale. Shipping is easy and reliable, if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Pack the instrument (in its case) inside a sturdy cardboard box with approximately three inches of "crush space" all around. Don't use too large a box - shipping costs are calculated on weight AND size. Be sure the oboe fits securely inside its own case. Some older cases get pretty loose, allowing the oboe to rattle around. Do not permit this - fill the case with paper towels or other padding to eliminate the movement. Surround the case with packing materials - styrofoam peanuts, crumpled newspaper, etc. Fill the box completely and tightly. Ship via one of the major commercial shippers - UPS or Federal Express. Use Next Day or Two Day air shipping. Go directly to a UPS Customer Center if your city is fortunate enough to have one, not a "Shipping R Us" sort of place - they add a significant markup for their service. Even the chain called "The UPS Store" is not a UPS office. Get your own instrument insurance protecting you against any and all calamities. Make sure that the instrument is protected for professional use.

This doesn't mean that you have to be a professional, but if you have ever taken money to play, the insurance company will call you a professional and try to deny your claim. This is the best place to go: . Once you have your own coverage, you will be able to decline the shippers insurance, which can be very expensive. Banddirector.com - The #1 Online Resource for Band Directors! Banddirector.com The Selection and Care of Oboe Reeds Allison Baker It's no secret that oboe reeds are the most temperamental component of the instrument, an ever-changing variable that, even for professional players, rarely remains consistent from one week to the next. Some people even claim that the reed is connected in some way to 90% of all problems that oboe players encounter. This is especially true for young players who don't know what to look for when purchasing an oboe reed. While the only sure-fire way to find a good reed is to play on it, for obvious reasons, these are not items people can try before they buy.

However, there are some simple ways to determine whether a reed is likely to play, as well as steps that can be taken to prolong the life of a good reed once one is found. I have seen too many students who go to their local music store and buy three to five reeds at a time, in hopes that one or two of them will actually make a sound. The following tips can prevent students and directors from wasting money on bad reeds. Even good reeds have a relatively short life span; a typical reed can only withstand one or two weeks of daily use, and replacement costs can get expensive. The commercially made reeds that most local music stores sell cost between $8-$12 and are adequate at best. Professional, hand-made reeds are more consistent than commercial brands; professional reeds cost $13-$18, but because they sound better and last longer, the price difference evens itself out over time.

University students, private teachers, and even local professionals often make and sell reeds to generate a little extra income, and most double reed specialty stores (such as Forrest's, Jones Double Reed Company, Nielsen's, and Midwest Musical Imports, to name a few) carry hand-made oboe reeds as well. Some of these companies even offer discounts on reeds ordered in bulk. To add to the confusion, oboe reeds are not graded by strength the way most single reeds are, although some vendors do classify reeds as soft, medium, and hard. The soft reeds allow players to use less air than they should, and only promote bad habits because the opening collapses under the pressure placed on the blades by a proper embouchure. By contrast, the hard and extra-hard reeds usually need to be scraped or otherwise adjusted by a professional because this machine setting leaves too much cane on the reed, which prevents it from vibrating freely. Beginners should never start on anything easier than a medium-soft reed, and switch to a medium or medium-hard reed within a few months. Another tell-tale sign of a poorly made oboe reed is the presence of a wire wrapped around the base of the cane.

Although the flared cane shape and larger size of English horn and bassoon reeds necessitate an adjustment wire or two to keep the reed opening intact, the long, narrow shape and defined scrape of an oboe reed should hold the blades open without assistance. Oboe reeds with wires are almost always too soft to play well because the reed opening is likely to collapse without the wire to hold it open. Other visible indicators of a low-quality reed are the lack of a spine down the middle of the blades, severely overlapped blades, reeds that are separated or open on the sides, and openings that are too narrow or too wide. The blades should overlap slightly to seal the reed from base to tip; reeds that come with a bit of fish skin or plumber's tape around the base of the reed are likely hiding small leaks, and a leaky reed usually has other problems as well. Look for reeds with a symmetrical opening, neatly and tightly wrapped thread, and be sure that the cane is tied onto the corked staple straight. New store-bought reeds come in airtight plastic vials but should be stored in a reed case, not the original packaging, to prevent mold growth.

Before playing, soak the reed in water, not in the mouth, for three to five minutes because sucking on reeds breaks down cane fibers and makes the reed more likely to crack. A water-tight container, such as a 35-mm film canister, fits easily inside most cases and is easy to come by. I suggest dipping the reed in water and setting it aside to prevent over-soaking; the cane will absorb the water in a matter of minutes. Avoid wearing lipstick or lip balm while playing the oboe, because the wax used in these products will clog the cane fibers, reduce vibrations, and greatly shorten the life of a reed. Players should dip the reed in water, blow the excess out from the cork end, and carefully wipe any remaining water off of the blades after each practice session or performance. To further prolong the life of a reed, students can use a pipe cleaner to remove any gunk that may build up inside the reed, but tell them to always insert the pipe cleaner in the cork end.

In case of an emergency, soaking an old reed in a 10% solution of hydrogen peroxide and water for five to ten minutes and rinsing thoroughly will remove excess contaminants and temporarily revive an old reed. The peroxide mixture breaks down the cane fibers very quickly, but this trick will often make a reed last through one final performance if absolutely necessary. Students should throw out any reeds that are more than a month old, even if they still seem to work. Once a reed starts to break down, the opening closes and the pitch rises sharply; the embouchure has to overcompensate for a dying reed, which can lead to bad habits. Also, oboe players should have at least two working reeds at all times; rotating reeds gives the cane fibers more time to recover between uses, which helps make the reeds last longer. Reeds will always be a source of contention for oboists. However, by avoiding poorly manufactured reeds, buying hand-made reeds whenever possible, and using the above guidelines to take care of working reeds, amateur oboe players are much more likely to find good reeds.

Share with: English horn for oboists EH 101 FOR OBOE PLAYERS: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE ENGLISH HORN by Martin Schuring �2010 Most oboe players are called upon to play English Horn from time to time. For many, these are frustrating occasions as they struggle with an unfamiliar instrument, poor pitch control, lack of projection, and other problems. Equipment Like a beginner on any instrument, the beginning English Horn player is often unsure as to why it sounds bad, even if he or she is a fairly competent and experienced oboe player. Many times, players blame the instrument when in fact they aren't blowing enough air, or blame themselves for deficiencies that are due to a useless bocal, etc. Everything on English Horn works a little differently from the oboe, so let's take a look at each piece of equipment (including the player) individually. Instruments Owning an English Horn is an expensive proposition, so most occasional players rely on borrowing an instrument from a school or a colleague. Because of intermittent use and a larger bore less sensitive to minute distortions, English Horns tend to stay in service much longer than oboes.

It is not uncommon for schools or universities to own instruments that are more than thirty years old. There is nothing wrong with this, of course, providing the instrument has been well maintained. Unfortunately, public schools often buy cheap, inferior instruments and keep those for a long time. If you aren't certain of the instrument's condition, bring it to your teacher or an expert and get advice. If it needs repairs, get them done. Schools frequently have no budget for this, but try. It will save the school money in the long run, especially if you succeed in having the instrument sent to a repair person who specializes in oboes. General repair people at full-service music stores don't always have the necessary experience. Bocals Since oboes don't have bocals, the importance of this piece of equipment is often overlooked by oboists. A bad bocal can make a good reed and instrument useless. On the other hand, a good one can distinctly spruce up even a mediocre horn. If you play English Horn more than once or twice a year, a good bocal is a wise investment. Bocals made by John Symer, Hiniker, Ross Woodwind Specialists, and the Dallas Bocal Company are all excellent.

Most dealers will send you several to try for a week or so. Cost is around $200-300. There are other excellent makers, also. It is helpful if you are able to match the bocal to the instrument - a great bocal on one horn is not necessarily a great bocal on every horn. A few signs of a bad bocal are: A general lack of resonance and focus, particularly on high notes. Pitch instability (usually flatness) above the staff (high G to C). G-sharp just above the staff is usually the worst note. Uncontrollable sagging when making diminuendo on C in the middle of the staff (third space). Don't be completely at the mercy of the people loaning you stuff. Buy your own bocal. Reeds English horn reeds differ from oboe reeds in two important respects: they are not as "finished" as oboe reeds, and they generally carry a wire. Many oboe reeds have extremely thin tips and a rather thin back, especially just below the heart. If you make an English horn reed this way, it will sound small and dull, and may well be flat.

Instead, make a reed that works well with good balance, but with less contrast between the three main areas. In other words, build your reed with a slightly thicker tip, slightly lighter heart, and a slightly thicker back. In addition, the difference in thickness between the top of the back and the lower portions is not as pronounced. If viewed from the side, the "waistline" of the reed that appears just below the heart is lower down. If you want to think in terms of oboe reeds, make a reed that plays well but is not "refined" it should still have a little bit of raucousness. English Horn reeds should be wired. The wire is not used to control the opening of the reed. If the opening is wrong, the wire may help a little, but the reed will still have problems. Rather, the wire stabilizes and focuses the notes above the staff. Often, this allows you to remove more wood from a reed that's a bit stiff but that would be too flat without the wire. Use #24 gauge brass wire, wind it around twice, and tighten with needlenose pliers.

You can buy the wire in the hardware or crafts store - it's cheaper than "reed wire." Many reedmakers put the wire on the blank before scraping at all. I prefer to add the wire later if necessary, mostly because it gets in my way during the scraping. Don't wind it on so tightly that it grips all the way around the reed; stop as soon as you feel it gripping the sides. Don't put it up too high on the reed: 5-6 mm from the string (in other words, just into the beginning of the scraped area) is high enough. The wire will usually slide around when the reed is dry, but return to its proper position when the reed is soaked. Playing Much of what we do physically on the oboe could be characterized as damage control. We're trying to prevent the sound from becoming too shrill, too raucous, too piercing. Most people, when their oboe playing isn't working well, sound too thin or harsh. Most English Horn players in trouble have the opposite problem: the sound is fuzzy, wooden, dull and won't project at all.

The position of the English Horn in the orchestra (amongst the violas, who are usually playing in the same range) doesn't help. So, two things are vital: blow firmly, and don't cover very much with your embouchure. If you played oboe the way English Horn sounds good, it would sound unpleasantly rough and raucous. If you reverse it and play English Horn with the correct oboe technique, the EH would sound stuffy and tiny. It is quite easy to overblow the oboe; it takes real power to overblow the English Horn. Or, at the opposite extreme, it is possible (though not desirable!) to "peep" on the oboe and get away with it. On the English Horn, you can forget it. Don't be shy. Blow. One more thing: the English Horn is a different instrument. It needs practice. Only the fingerings are familiar. Strive to play the English Horn with the same facility and flexibility that you have on the oboe. Don't restrict your English Horn practicing only to English Horn repertoire. Most of the orchestral excerpts are technically very easy.

Play Ferling etudes, Mozart concerto, baroque sonatas, technical warmups - whatever you can think of until the instrument feels comfortable and familiar to you.

Question: How many reeds are there in an oboe
Answer: One